Pupil Premium
All members of staff and the governing body accept responsibility for ‘socially disadvantaged’ pupils and are committed to meeting their pastoral, social and academic needs within a caring and nurturing environment. We hope that each child will develop a love for learning and acquire skills and abilities commensurate with fulfilling their potential and as an adult finding employment.
“It is vital that schools get this right. Every child who leaves school without the right qualifications faces a far more difficult path to fulfilling their potential and finding employment. We owe it to all our young people to ensure that they are given every chance to succeed”. (Quote from Sir Michael Wilshaw in the Ofsted 2012, Evaluation of the Pupil Premium Spending).
Pupil premium was introduced by the Government in April 2011 to provide additional support for Looked After Children and those from low income families.The additional funding was to help schools “narrow the attainment gap that still exists for pupils from disadvantaged and more affluent backgrounds”.
Early identification is paramount and the staff at Queenborough School and Nursery, with guidance from the Senior Leadership Team, SENCO and Subject Leaders, will consider that pupil premium children may need all the help that they can to grasp the basic skills of reading, writing and maths.
Key Strategies in supporting children eligible for Pupil Premium Funding In order to be highly successful in improving achievement for the children eligible for pupil premium, the staff at Queenborough School and Nursery:
| 1 | Carefully ring-fence the funding so that it is always spent on the targeted group of pupils. Never confuse eligibility for the Pupil Premium with low ability, and focus on supporting our disadvantaged pupils to achieve the highest levels. |
| 2 | Thoroughly analyse which pupils were underachieving, particularly in English and Mathematics, and why. |
| 3 | Draw on research evidence (such as the Sutton Trust Toolkit) and evidence from our own and others’ experiences to allocate the funding to the activities that were most likely to have significant impact on improving achievement. |
| 4 | Are very clear about the importance of ensuring that all day-to-day teaching meets the needs of each learner, rather than relying on interventions to compensate for teaching that is less than good. Quality First Teaching is paramount. |
| 5 | Allocate their best teachers and Teaching Assistants to teach intervention groups or 1to1 to improve Mathematics and English. |
| 6 | Use achievement data frequently to check whether interventions or strategies are working and make adjustments accordingly, rather than using the data retrospectively to see if something has worked. |
| 7 | Make sure that support staff, particularly teaching assistants, are highly trained and understand their role in helping pupils to achieve. |
| 8 | Make sure that support staff, particularly teaching assistants, are highly trained and understand their role in helping pupils to achieve. |
| 9 | Systematically focus on giving pupils clear, useful feedback about their work, and ways that they could improve it. (Assessment for Learning) |
| 10 | Ensure that the Senior Leadership Team has a clear overview of how the funding is being allocated and the difference it is making to the outcomes for pupils. |
| 11 | Ensure that class and subject teachers know which pupils are eligible for the Pupil Premium so that they can take responsibility for accelerating their progress. This also applies to teaching assistants. |
| 12 | Provide well-targeted support to improve attendance, behaviour or links with families where these were barriers to a pupil’s learning. |
| 13 | Have a clear and robust appraisal system for all staff, and include discussions about pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium in appraisal and pupil progress meetings. |
| 14 | Thoroughly involve governors in the decision making and evaluation process. |
| 15 | Are able, through careful monitoring and evaluation, to demonstrate the impact of each aspect of their spending on the outcomes for pupils. |
We ensure that the children know exactly what they need to do to improve – i.e. their targets. Below are just some of the processes and strategies employed by staff at Queenborough School and Nursery to maximise progress and attainment for pupils eligible for pupil premium.
| Data tracking | is used rigorously across the whole school and identifies all underachieving pupils. A disproportionate number of these at Queenborough School & Nursery could be disadvantaged pupils. The subsequent interventions are based on underperformance and other factors that contribute. These might be related, for example, to attendance, behaviour, or even factors outside of school |
| High profile of pupils eligible for free school meals | the high profile of disadvantaged pupils ensures stakeholders are aware of their needs and of the support that is available. Staff are made aware of the achievement data surrounding disadvantaged pupils and the responses that are possible. As a strategic approach, all staff have professional respect for the school’s Pupil Premium Project and its outcome. |
| Effective teaching and learning | all staff recognise and accept that the vast majority of pupils’ progress comes out of quality First Teaching and Learning on a day-to-day basis. There is, therefore, a major drive for independent learning, the development of thinking skills and clear assessments that support learning. Staff training has been focused accordingly. |
| Literacy support | the development of good literacy skills is a whole school focus. Levels of progress and attainment are carefully tracked and monitored across the school. Pupils with low literacy levels are provided with additional support so that basic skills can be developed effectively. For disadvantaged pupils with literacy difficulties, the Pupil Premium funding is used to meet their individual needs in order to remove this barrier to learning. |
| Targeted support | tailored individual support is provided across the curriculum and arrangements are made for resources to be available for each pupil as needed. Staff take responsibility for determining the additional resources that pupils need in order to achieve well. Appropriate requests for resources are met quickly so that pupils can make the quickest possible progress. |
| The full range of educational experiences | support is given to ensure that all pupils have full access to broad educational experiences, such as residential courses and competing in sporting events |
| Attendance | staff, teachers, parents, carers and pupils understand the causal link between attendance and achievement. Attendance levels for all disadvantaged pupils are checked and acted upon. Systems are in place to make early identification of issue and need. The school provides a subsidised breakfast club. |
| Preparing children for life in modern Britain | support is given to other skills such healthy eating via its cookery club as well as enrichment activities to broaden pupils knowledge and understanding. |